The Middle AgesSOL WHI.9

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476 A.D. Western Roman Empire

collapses due to Germanic invasions.

500 – 1500 A.D. Period of history known as the MIDDLE AGES.

Roman Empire

•Large territory unified under one government

•Led by an emperor

•Large cities, money economy, literate society, etc.

Europe in Middle Ages

•Small Germanic kingdoms; boundaries constantly changed

•Money scarce; trade disrupted by invasions; cities faded; illiterate society

•People entered into agreements with land owning lords who provided them with protection in exchange for work.

Foundations of medieval society

• Classical heritage of Rome• Christian beliefs• Customs of Germanic tribes

Feudalism beginsInvasions shattered Roman protection over the Empire. The decline of Roman influence in Western Europe left people with little protection against invasion, so they entered into feudal agreements with land-holding lords who promised them protection.

Feudal society during the Middle Ages

• Fief – land worked by the peasants

• Vassals – “landlords”; swore allegiance to

the king; could serve as a knight

• Serfs – peasants that worked the land

• Feudal obligations

Manorial system during the Middle Ages

• Rigid class structure

• Self-sufficient manors

Feudalism

Based on mutual obligation

Military protection

Provide knights in times of war

service

Fiefs – land grants

Fiefs – land grants

protection

Life on the Manor

Daily Life on the Manor

Influence of the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages

• The Roman Catholic Church grew in importance

after Roman authority declined. It became the

unifying force in western Europe.

• The Pope anointed the Holy Roman Emperors.

• Missionaries carried Christianity to Germanic tribes.

• The Church served the social, political, and religious

needs of the people.

St. Peter’s Basilica Vatican City, Italy

Built 326 A. D.

Influence of the Church

• Roman authority declined, while Church

authority grew

• Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman cultural

achievements

• Missionaries carried Christianity and Latin alphabet

to Germanic tribes

• Pope anointed Charlemagne as Holy Roman

Emperor in 800 A. D.

• Parish priests served religious and social needs of

the people

Age of Charlemagne

Frankish kings used military power to expand their territory.

• Franks emerged as a force in Western Europe

• Charles I, Charles the Great = Charlemagne

• Pope crowned the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

The alliance between Frankish kings and the church reestablished Roman culture in Western Europe.

• Power of the Church was established in political life

• Roman culture was revived

Charlemagne

• Born grandson of Charles Martel, son of Pepin the Short

• Ruled from 771 - 814 A.D.

• Known as Charles I

• Spread Christianity while reuniting western Europe

• Crowned by Pope Leo III Christmas Day 800 A. D.

• Died at age 70

Charlemagne’s Empire

Invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings

Magyars

Vikings

Invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings

Invasions by Angles, Saxons, Magyars, and Vikings disrupted the social, economic, and political order of Europe.

Areas of Settlement• Angles and Saxons from continental Europe to England• Magyars from Central Asia to Hungary• Vikings from Scandinavia to Russia

Influence of the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, & Vikings

• Manors with castles provided protection from invaders• Invasions disrupted trade, towns declined, and the

feudal system was strengthened